An immigration judge on Thursday will decide whether to release an Oceanside minister arrested by the Border Patrol in May because he’s an unauthorized immigrant from Mexico.

Jorge Ramirez, 41, has no known criminal record and was picked up by agents who were staking out his home. He is in detention in Otay Mesa, and the judge will be deciding whether to grant bond so that Ramirez can return to his family while he fights his deportation in immigration court.

Ramirez leads the music ministry for the Fountain of Praise Apostolic Church on MacDonald Street.

Since President Donald Trump introduced new immigration priorities in January, many have wondered whether immigration officials would target those without criminal records. People who support Trump’s policy changes argue that any unauthorized immigrant is worth tracking down and deporting. People who are against the crackdown say that the limited resources of immigration officials should be focused on those who are dangerous to society.

The Trump administration has said that it is still targeting criminals and those who already have been ordered deported, though those with no criminal history can be picked up collaterally during an operation.

Local officials declined to explain why Ramirez was targeted, given his lack of criminal or deportation history.

Mark Endicott of Border Patrol in San Diego would say only, “Jorge Ramirez-Navarrete was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 31, 2017, after agents had established that he was illegally residing in the U.S. and determined he had no previously filed immigration petitions or changes made to his immigration status on his behalf.”

Ramirez worked as a technician for a satellite television company. Among his responsibilities, he had to have security clearance to work on installations inside the bounds of Camp Pendleton. He’d renewed his clearance several times but in December 2016 was denied because of his immigration status, said his wife, Silvia Ramirez.

Ramirez was detained for a day at that time, but immigration officials did not pursue his deportation because he was not a priority under former President Barack Obama’s immigration policy, according to Silvia Ramirez.

Because immigration officials alerted his employer, he lost his job — which paid well — and the family began to fall behind on bills, she said.

Ramirez found a delivery job working from about 6 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. for low pay, which he did until his arrest.

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A Guatemalan man whose attorney managed to get him pulled out of line in May in a last-minute effort to prevent his removal from the U.S. has been deported.

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(Kate Morrissey)

His family started a GoFundMe campaign to help with expenses while he’s in detention. They’re worried about losing their house, which they’ve owned for about three years. So far, the campaign has raised about $4,200 of its $10,000 goal.

“Right now, everything we’re doing, I’m doing because I love him and because I know if I was in his situation, he would be turning heaven and earth to get me out of there,” Silvia Ramirez said.

Jorge Ramirez came without authorization to the U.S. from Mexico with his parents when he was about 11 and grew up around North County. He’s been married for 22 years and has three U.S. citizen children. His youngest, Abisag Ramirez, 17, graduated from high school during her father’s immigration detention. She will start at Nyack College in New York this fall on a full scholarship for soccer.

“He’s very hard working,” Abisag Ramirez said of her father. “He didn’t want me to worry about work and to focus on my education. He had it all under control.”

Caleb Ramirez, 20, followed in his father’s footsteps and helps another nearby church with its music program.

“It was really numbing,” Caleb Ramirez said of his dad’s arrest. “Knowing that my dad’s not there to push me or give me words of encouragement — I had to be strong. There was no time to cry.”

He said he looks up to his father.

“He was that person that entered the room and his smile was just contagious,” Caleb Ramirez said. “He showed me how I should carry myself. He’s who I aspire to be.”

Silvia Ramirez found out via text message that her husband had been arrested. The family has a group chat, which buzzed with a short message early in the morning to let them know that he was with immigration officials. Only Silvia and Abisag Ramirez were awake at the time.

Border Patrol agents staked out the house and watched for Ramirez to come out.

“They knew his pattern,” Silvia Ramirez said.

The family worked to cover his delivery route that day, expecting him to return at the end of the day as he had in December. When Silva Ramirez didn’t hear from her husband for two days, she called a lawyer.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not grant The San Diego Union-Tribune’s request to meet with Ramirez in time for publication of this story.

The Ramirez home holds the traces of his work as a minister. In the living room, family photos decorate the top of an upright piano.

“He’s always taught us to be good people and show love,” said his daughter, Betsabe Ramirez, 19. “The way he carries himself is how we’re supposed to be as Christians and as human beings.”

Silvia Ramirez said hearing about people that her husband has met in detention has made her uneasy about whether he will get out on bond.

“Some do, and some don’t,” she said. “I’m kind of scared to see what happens.”

The three siblings went to visit Ramirez in the detention facility on Father’s Day. Since they hadn’t yet been approved for in-person visitation, they spoke to him through the facility’s video visit system on a tablet.

Abisag, the youngest, said that when it was her turn to talk, she broke down. Her father calmed her down, she said.

“We’re going to get through this together,” he told her.

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Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans in favor of a deal to protect 'Dreamers' want to drive a wedge between Trump and hardliners on his staff. (Oct. 9, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans in favor of a deal to protect 'Dreamers' want to drive a wedge between Trump and hardliners on his staff. (Oct. 9, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

CAPTION

Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans in favor of a deal to protect 'Dreamers' want to drive a wedge between Trump and hardliners on his staff. (Oct. 9, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans in favor of a deal to protect 'Dreamers' want to drive a wedge between Trump and hardliners on his staff. (Oct. 9, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

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Los Angeles Unified School District has published immigration guides in English and Spanish directing families to low-cost legal resources and attorneys around L.A. (Sept. 5, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

Los Angeles Unified School District has published immigration guides in English and Spanish directing families to low-cost legal resources and attorneys around L.A. (Sept. 5, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

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On Sept. 5, the White House announced it was moving to end the Obama-era program that has protected people from deportation. (Sept. 5, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

On Sept. 5, the White House announced it was moving to end the Obama-era program that has protected people from deportation. (Sept. 5, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

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